This is the most beautiful Tournament to date. Sadly, it's also the worst. This doesn't mean it's ALL bad, though.
Unreal Tournament 2003 was... disappointing. It was gorgeous for the time, sporting the new Unreal Warfare 2 engine. It was a fun game, but it was too indifferent, and it axed one of the original UT's best modes, Assault.
Then Unreal Tournament 2004 came out, and it whupped UT 2k3's ass. It even ended up being better than the original. Rather than feeling like a dumbed down expansion pack running on a new engine, UT 2k4 was fully realized. Even single player was worth riding out, as it gave real meaning to the term 'bloodsport' as you created a team, funded them, held rivalries, and had true championships. It felt like a real tournament. And Assault was back. UT 2k4 still looked gorgeous as well.
Now we have Unreal Tournament 3. I shake my head in sadness, as this is the lowest point in the series to date. No, it is not a bad tournament, I will still be playing it and enjoying it until the next tournament, but like 2k3's addition to the series, UT3 feels like a dumbed down (or in this case, euthanized) expansion pack running on a new engine. The game is easily the best looking game on the market, Unreal's highly stylized mix of sci-fi corridors, hallways, and alien planets and mortar and brimstone castles reeking of 'destroyed beauty' fits perfect on the Unreal engine 3. It looks Unreal, more so than any other addition. But once you look past these pretty graphics, you find what made the other games so fun, just isn't there. Assault is once again missing. The fun adrenaline combos are gone. And the carnage is too. Yes, if it weren't for a few swears and the rare full body gib, Unreal Tournament 3 would easily garner a Teen rating. The game moves so fast, you can barely see any blood when you shoot, and blood no longer stains walls or streams from victims, and you can't take out specific limbs. Only full body gibs. A friend of mine says it was the engines fault, but I told him to look at Gears of War. Gears of War may not spatter blood on every wall, but it at least has an understanding of the carnage necessary for it to earn it's M rating and wear it proudly. I am not a violent person, I do not condone violence, but when I buy a game which has a cover showing a man standing in 3 waterfalls of blood, I better see at least one waterfall of blood in the game. Just because UT3 is very, very disappointing, does not mean it isn't fun. You still get to frag lots of stuff. It's got great physics, especially if you have an AGEIA card. The new NECRIS vehicles are delightfully morbid. And although the singleplayer is missing the tournament mode where you build a team, the new campaign mode adds extreme strategy and is easily the biggest addition to the game. The weapons you love are all there too, even the return of one of my old favourites.. the impact hammer. Nothing says 'I love you' like smashing a person into tiny giblets with a mechanical air piston. The enforcer from UT 99 is back as well, and although it looks and acts almost entirely different, it does contain a nod to the original Enforcer; if you use secondary fire long enough, the player will turn it sideways gangster style. It's nice to see these weapons return, and of course, no UT game would be complete without classics like the flak cannon, still my favourite tool of destruction, and the makeover it gets in UT3 is very, very cool looking.
All in all, UT3 is disappointing. It's simply an expansion pack for UT2k4, minus several gameplay aspects of that game, and a new engine to compensate. But if you have enjoyed any other Tournament, once you get past your initial disappointment, the tournament is still worth signing up for.
Graphics: 10 - Best looking game on the market
Sound: 10 - Screams, splatters, explosions, and bullet casings galore, with the standard hyped up techno soundtrack. Whats not to love?
Gameplay: 7 - This is not anywhere near as fun as 2k4. It is saved by the extensive...
Replay: 9 - It has it's flaws, but humanity is still the most dangerous game, and even the ancient sport of deathmatch can be unique each time you play.
Value: 6 - Though it's replay will go down the tube once the next tournament comes out, unless the next tournament sucks